Semiconductor Venture Investment Jumps in April

(National Science Foundation)

Venture capital investments in semiconductor companies worldwide rose significantly in April 2012, compared both to March and April 2011. The Global Semiconductor Alliance in London compiles and publishes these statistics each month.

The organization reports that semiconductor companies received $194.2 million in venture capital in April 2012, a 10-fold increase over March 2012, and more than five times the amount invested in April 2011. That investment covers integrated device manufacturers, “fabless” companies — those that design and develop semiconductors, but outsource the manufacturing — and semiconductor suppliers.

Global Semiconductor Alliance says eight companies received the $194.2 million in investments in April 2012, double the number of investments last April and a 60 percent increase over March. Of the eight companies, five were fabless developers and three were semiconductor suppliers.

The organization also reported on exits in April — company actions to become financially self-sufficient, thus exiting venture capital funding. In April, Audience Inc. announced the terms for its initial public offering (IPO). The Mountain View, California company is a fabless developer of voice and audio processors for mobile devices.

Global Semiconductor Alliance reported as well that seven mergers or acquisitions occurred in the semidonductor industry during April. The largest of these deals was the acquisition of PLX Technology by Integrated Device Technology (IDT) Inc., for $330 million. IDT, in San Jose, California, is a developer and manufacturer of semiconductor devices for communications, computing, and consumer systems.

Read more:

• Semiconductor Sales Gain in 2011, Decline in 4th Quarter
• U.S. VC Investments Up for 2011, Flat for Science Companies

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